Richard King, 69

Big fundraiser for black colleges

Richard King, 69, former area director of the United Negro College Fund, died of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease Sunday, Jan. 20, at his winter home in Las Vegas.

A native of Arkansas, he graduated from Philander Smith College in 1953 and served in the Army for two years. Mr. King came to Chicago to work as a property and insurance consultant with the Cook County Department of Public Aid. But he didn't find his true calling until 1971, when Art Fletcher, the UNCF's national director, asked him to lead the fund's office in the Midwest.

At that time, the Chicago region raised less than $400,000 annually. After Mr. King's first year in charge, it raised more than $500,000. He vowed to increase scholarship monies each year, and in 1993, the year before he retired, the regional UNCF office reportedly raised $4 million.

"I take great pride in having been a part of this growth," he told a newspaper reporter at that time. Mr. King also thanked the "hundreds of volunteers and staff members who did so much for the higher education of blacks, not just in Chicago, but in the entire central part of America."

One of the most important reasons for the fund's growth was Mr. King's connection to the community, according to his cousin, Debbie Carter.

"He knew everybody here in Chicago," she said. Carter described him as "very charismatic" and a man who could make people care deeply about the scholarship fund.

As both the UNCF director and as a trustee of Philander Smith College, Mr. King frequently encountered scholarship recipients who would thank him for the difference he made in their lives.

After he retired Mr. King often worked with high-school guidance counselors to help students look for scholarships, according to family friend Malvola Davis.

"He was very dedicated. Someone you could always call on," she said.

Mr. King is survived by his mother, Emma Ballou; and his daughter, Lori King.

A service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Liberty Baptist Church, 49th Street and King Drive, Chicago.